Home is Where the Heart is, and Always Will Be
by CarsCars2Fanatic
Summary: This is a new concept of mine, because I've always wanted to write a story like this. I really hope you guys like it, and I don't own anyone other then Max, Foxy, the kids, and anyone else you don't recognize from the movies. :) this story is rated for occasional language, violence, and abuse in later chapters. I don't own the songs you find hidden in the reading, also.
1. Bad to Worse

"Are you really fast?"

"Of course. We won't get caught, at least not if the two of you are slow."

"Yeah, right. Me, slow? I think if that happened, I'd be out of a job."

"Oh, shut up and hand them over."

A bundle of firecrackers was passed from tire to hand, and the hand gripped them tightly, the other slowly drawing out a matchbook from a jeans pocket. A pair of beat-up sneakers crept towards an old army bunker, so worn out that they didn't make a sound. The hand holding the matchbook flipped it open, and the one holding the bundle of explosives set the firecrackers down. That same hand pulled out a match, and struck it against the bottom of a sneaker, a small flame appearing instantly. The hands lit the bundled-together strings leading to the firecrackers, then snuffed out the match quickly.

"Go, go, go!" A female voice hissed frantically, and there were two screeches of tires peeling out on the asphalt, then two engines revving wildly. After that, there was an explosive crackling that echoed up and down the main street, scaring the target of the prank and making them burst out of the old army bunker. Their shout echoed up and down the street, waking up any of the others who weren't awoken by the blast.

The sets of tires and one pair of sneakers had booked it down to the local racetrack, trying not to make too much noise, in case they were heard. They heard sirens following them, and the trio decided to split up, two going one way, with the other going the other way. The pair split up even further, the sneakers diving behind a bush, trying not to pant too loudly. They watched as the set of tires they had been following darted behind the rock formation at the racetrack, then dared to peek over the top of the bush.

The owner of the sneakers, Foxy, watched as Sheriff began searching for the culprits who had pulled the prank.

The owner of the set of tires she had been following, Lightning McQueen, got her attention, then mouthed, "Who is it?"

She mouthed back, "Sheriff."

He nodded, then risked a peek around the rock formation. Sheriff was turned away from them, searching behind the bushes on the other side of the track. He decided to make his move, inching as rapidly as possible towards Foxy.

"What are you doing, moron?" She hissed. "He'll find us for sure, then we're royally screwed!"

"Relax, I know what I'm doing." Was his reply, and he got a glare for his efforts.

"Just trust me on this, okay?"

Foxy rolled her eyes, which widened as Lightning began speaking. Loudly. "Foxy, that's not how you play Carhunt. You're supposed to go hide, and wait for me to find you! It's like hide-and-seek, but at nighttime."

Sheriff perked up and whirled around as soon as he heard Lightning, starting towards them.

"I-I-Uhh… Give me a break, I didn't know that the rules were any different. I thought the whole meaning was to try and find the seeker, without them seeing you…" She fumbled at first, but quickly composed herself.

Lightning gave her a wink, and Sheriff poked his front end around the bush.

"So the two of ya are the culprits!" He declared, and the duo looked offended.

"Us? Never! We were playing Carhunt, Sheriff." The two replied in unison.

"Do you wanna play too, Sheriff? It's not too much fun with just two." Foxy added, and Sheriff snorted in disgust.

"Yeah, I know what the two of ya are doin'. It ain't gonna work."

"All right, you caught us, Sheriff. I wanted to watch Lightning bust his bumper at night on the track. Happy?"

He watched the two carefully for a moment, then rolled his eyes. "Don't know why ya couldn't do it during the day." He retorted, and Foxy grinned.

"Because, at night he can't see jack crap. During the day, he can see it just fine. He's just an idiot."

"Hey!"

Foxy laughed, and Sheriff chuckled. "The two of ya are just lucky that Sarge didn't get ya."

"Thanks, Sheriff." Foxy gave him a grateful smile, and he nodded.

"He'll be lookin' fer a fight tomorrow, so watch out."

"I'm not afraid of him. I'm not afraid of anyone around here. Except for the spiders, scorpions, and whatnot." The two cars chuckled, then Lightning pulled out from behind the bush, Foxy coming out afterwards.

"The two of ya better get goin'. It's late."

"Can do, boss." Foxy replied with a large grin, knowing how much he hated it.

He gave her a look that clearly stated, 'Don't push it.'

She grinned, then began walking back up beside Lightning, Sheriff following after the two.

* * *

True to what Sheriff had suspected, Sarge rolled into Fillmore's dome early the next morning, and he was not pleased. He grabbed Foxy by the ankle, and roughly dragged her outside. She woke up when the sunlight hit her eyes, and sat up, mumbling something he didn't care about at the moment.

When her vision cleared, she found herself nearly face to bumper with Sarge, and she thought he looked downright pissed. He nearly shoved the remains of the firecrackers up her nose, demanding to know what it was he was holding.

"Hey, lay off. It was just a prank." She grumbled, irritated that he had woken her up to yell at her.

"A prank, huh? Fine then, what if I just so 'happened' to spill your coffee all over you? That qualify as a 'prank'?" He snarled, and she grew angrier.

"Do you want to die? Because only people who want to die dare to screw around with my coffee." She threatened, growling.

"Ohh, you're so frightening, with your big fluffy tail and ears!" He snapped, and she shot up from the ground angrily.

"All right, gigantor, you want to go? Let's freakin' dance." She snarled, getting into a fighting stance.

"What sort of dance? Ballet?" He mocked, getting into a fighting stance also.

"No, not ballet. It's a special dance that I like to call, 'Show You Who's Top Dog'."

"I already know that dance. I majored in that in college." He shot back with a snarl, and Foxy lunged at him. He ducked, and she went sailing over his canvas top, hitting the dirt.

"Ohh, I'm about to open up a can of-"

"No, you aren't. You're going to lose this, and you know it. Honestly, at least come up with some good comebacks." He retorted, and she lunged for him again, this time landing on his roof.

She bit into it, her jaws snapping together. She shook her head from side to side rapidly, her teeth still clenched over a part of the canvas.

He tore off towards Flo's, hoping to dislodge her. It didn't work, and she grinned devilishly around the canvas. She let go long enough to get a few words out. "What's wrong? Champion got your canvas?" She mocked, and he whirled around in a doughnut, throwing her to the ground.

He pounced at her, but she rolled out of the way, and tackled him again with a snarl.

The two began getting into a full-fledged fight, wrestling around on the ground, the others jumping out of the way to avoid being hit. They made their way into the dirt, and soon had a dust cloud kicked up, which obscured the two from the others. There were yelps every now and then, coming from both, and the townsfolk shared uncertain glances, wondering what had happened, but none willing to go break it up.

Red, it seemed, was getting increasingly more anxious as the fight went on. Finally, he couldn't take any more, and blared his horn and siren, startling the two apart. Not for long, however, as the two just lunged at each other again, and began to fight even more than before, this time words joining the battle. While there were mainly curses, there were a few retorts here and there.

"ENOUGH!" Doc bellowed, honking his horn to be heard over the noise the two were making.

They froze and stared at Doc, both their expressions ones of shock, the look made complete by the black eye that was developing on Foxy's face. "Both of you, knock it off! Foxy, go sit over by Red! Both of you, just stay away from one another for once!"

Foxy went over to sit by Red without a word, too shocked to even throw a snarky remark towards Sarge. She kept her bangs covering her face, too embarrassed that she had been yelled at by Doc to do much else.

Red began petting her hair comfortingly, and when he neared her black eye, she leaned away, her eye already beginning to swell shut. He looked down at her in concern, then tried to peek underneath her bangs curiously. She jerked backwards, her bangs flopping down to cover her eye again.

At a hard nudge to her back, she turned around, only to find Max parked there, on his way to visit the others, and just in time to watch the entire scene. "Good going, dum-dum." He muttered, giving her a glare.

She gave him an intense, one-eyed glare, then sighed, giving up, figuring that it would be useless to try and fight. She just flopped forwards, facedown on the pavement, feeling that she was in time-out, like a five year old.

A few hours later, Doc asked if the two were ready to make up.

"I will if he does." Foxy replied n a low tone, watching Sarge out of her left eye, the undamaged one.

"She started it with those firecrackers last night."

"Enough! Since the two of ya can't get along, Sheriff, take 'em both to the impound. A night in there oughta straighten things out."

Sheriff dipped his hood in a nod, then rolled over to collect Foxy. She was already standing up, and had began walking towards the road, leaving him to follow along behind the two of them. He opened the gate, and the two entered, Foxy heading towards the back, wanting to get as far away from Sarge as possible.

As the afternoon dragged on, the two refused to speak to each other, Foxy in the back corner on the left side, Sarge in the back corner on the right, Foxy facing out, towards the distant mountains. Lightning rolled towards her, then tossed something up and over the fence. She caught it, and looked down at it. It was a green apple. She looked up at him blankly, her mind numbed over, her bangs hiding her black eye.

"I thought you'd be hungry."

She stared at him a moment longer, then began slowly sinking her teeth into the apple, forgetting how sour they were. Her eyelid lowered, and she continued munching.

Lightning smiled, then placed a tire against the rusty chainlink. "That's my Foxy."

She snorted in disgust, looking at him with distaste. He just grinned, then headed towards the road once more. As she gazed out at the mountains, she sighed, feeling more depressed than ever. She looked down at the apple, and sighed. She was beginning to not want it anymore, and chucked it as far and as high as she could, watching as it landed in the trees behind the impound. She sighed again, then curled up in the corner, trying to think of a way out. As she looked up at the chainlink, she realized that she might be able to climb it, but then she saw the barbed wire going around it at the top, and quickly abandoned the idea. As she stole glances over at Sarge, however, she saw that his roof was tall enough for her to leap up and over the barbed wire.

First, she'd have to make amends with the beast. She sighed at the thought, and started talking. "Sarge, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for the firecracker prank. It honestly was Lightning's idea, not mine."

He snorted, rolled his eyes, but refused to answer verbally.

"I'm serious. You think I know how to pull off a good prank? My idea of a prank is a whoopee cushion or ding dong ditch."

"Elementary, at best." He grunted, and she nodded.

"Yeah, I know, my prank list sucks. What do you expect? It's me. I used to be a goody-goody at school."

"Sure didn't act like it."

"Yeah, and I'm sorry about it."

He lowered his hood in a stiff nod, and Foxy guessed that he accepted her apology. "You wanna get outta here?" She asked.

"Sure. I've got better things to do than sit in here all night." He replied, and she nodded.

"All right, then I'm going to need your help. If you could give me a boost, I could leap over the barbed wire, get around to the front, then unlock the gate for you."

"How do I know that you won't just run off after I let you out?"

"I won't."

"How do I know you won't?" He asked, rolling towards her, and leaning forwards, looking down at her threateningly.

"You don't! You don't know that I won't, but you're just gonna have to trust me!" She exclaimed frantically, looking up at him submissively out of one eye. He glared at her for a minute more, then was about to speak when they heard a chuckle at the gate.

"That's as close to an apology as they're gonna get, don't ya think, Doc?"

"Sure do. Let 'em out, Sheriff."

"How long have they been there?" Foxy asked, looking over at Sarge. He shrugged, his front tires turning outwards.

Doc chuckled, then replied, "Long enough." The two headed towards the gate, which was rolled open by Sheriff.

"So what started that, anyway?"

"The firecrackers." Foxy replied, looking down at the ground one they had arrived back at Flo's. "Then we got into name-calling, and boasting, then there was the actual fight." She was sitting at Lightning's side, and he was petting her bangs, which were still covering her face.

He got too close to her black eye, and she drew away in pain. He looked over at her, concerned, then lifted her bangs up. He spotted it, and let her bangs fall in shock. "Foxy, how'd that happen?"

"What?"

"This!" He pulled her bangs up again, and the others gasped.

"Oh, you know, I just got into a fight with a living car. That has tires that are bigger then my eye." She glanced over at Sarge with her good eye, and the others turned to look at him in disbelief.

"Yeah, he got me dead on, too. I could feel it." She replied, and Lightning gave her a disgusted look.

"What?"

"You just got punched in the eye, and you're acting like you're visiting the Queen. Why do you not care?!"

"It's an eye. Big deal. I've got another one. Besides, it shows that I'm not one to mess with."

"Honestly, you can freak out over a tiny spider, but when you get a black eye, you act like it's nothing. HOW?!"

"I just… don't…" She replied, shrugging, unsure why he was so obsessed over it. "I used to get black eyes all the time when I fought. It was never a big deal then, and it sure as heck ain't now."

"You fought?"

"Yeah, my mom didn't care. I figured that if she didn't, then neither should I."

"Foxy… you're not supposed to get in fights…" Lightning groaned, sighing afterwards.

"Why not? Nobody ever cared if I lost or won back then."

"What happened to the 'nice' Foxy?"

"She left when you offered her a beer, I think…"

"You are the world's biggest pain!"

"Yeah, yeah. Just because I'm the sister and I could whip you without trying, that automatically makes me the pain in the bumper."

"You could so not whip me without trying! If anything, I'll give you a black eye to match the one you've got! Then you'll be one of those raccoons!"

"So I go from a pirate to a raccoon. Lovely." She replied with a roll of her eye.

Lightning cuffed her on the head with a tire, and she growled playfully. He picked her up, then proceed to squash her just enough in a hug that she started complaining.

"All right, now you two knock it off, otherwise, Foxy's goin' in the impound, and stayin' there."

Lightning dropped Foxy to the ground, and she scoffed, looking up at him.

"Dude?!" She exclaimed, giving him a 'WTF?' look.

"What? I put you down."

"No, you dropped me on my face!" She exclaimed, then got up without another word and stalked off towards the Butte. Once there, she began taking her anger out on a bush, throwing all sorts of kicks at it, curses flowing out of her mouth like a waterfall.

**Here's the new story! :) As you can tell from the first chapter, Foxy's language really increases in this one. If you can't handle tuff like that, I wouldn't recommend reading this story, since it isn't going to be a happy one except for the ending. I'm really trying to test my limits, see what I can do with this one, so keep reviewing, and if you don't normally review, I can only beg you to review, that way I really know if you guys like this story. Thanks for reading, and I hope you guys can't wait for the next chapter! **


	2. Worse to Unthinkable

Finally, about three hours later, at nearly midnight, she had calmed down, and had made her decision on what to do. She crept back into Fillmore's dome, grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil, then began to write. As she wrote, her eye began welling up with tears, and some spilled over, onto the paper.

Once she had finished writing, she gathered up her things quietly, placed them in her bag, then left the dome, the tears still flowing. She had set the paper in her chair, but for a long time, didn't move, just stood there gazing at the dome through her tears. Finally, she hoisted her bag a little higher up onto her back, and began walking, taking the road towards the Interstate.

Eventually, her tears dried, and her face hardened into a mask as she kept walking, not wanting to use up all of her energy. She had stopped by the orchard and picked some fruit, enough to last for a few days, then continued on her way.

As the sunrise gave way to the day, she began wondering if Fillmore had found her note yet. When she thought of him, she began to cry quietly, the tears running down her face once more. Soon, she was sobbing, barely able to see where she was going through her tears.

As the hours went by, she was sure Fillmore had found her note, and decided that she couldn't go back now.

She kept walking until she found a lone tree. She climbed up into the branches, tied her sweatshirt around her legs and the branch, then began to doze, hoping her pounding headache would lessen.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in town, Fillmore was just discovering the note after some searching for her. He rolled closer, noting that it was in her handwriting, a pretty, neat script. As he began to read, his eyes grew wide. He rolled backwards in surprise, noticing the faint teardrops scattered throughout the note. He picked it up and took it over to the others, who were looking for Foxy also.

"Did you find her, Fillmore?"

"I found a note she left, man."

Flo rolled over to look at it, and she began to read it out loud.

"_To whom it may concern, I've decided that because of my fighting instincts, I don't belong around others, since someone could get hurt. I've already gotten into a fight with Sarge, and nearly got into another one with Lightning. It's only a matter of time until I snap, so I decided to sever ties with everything, that way I don't hurt anyone. I beg you, don't come to look for me, because I don't want to be found. I don't deserve to be, after what I did to Sarge and Lightning. I'm sorry to have put them through this, as well as all the others who have had to put up with me. Tell the children I said goodbye. I would do it myself, but I'm already long gone. All I want to do is forget fighting, and it's back again. I don't deserve to be alive after all the problems I've caused. ,Foxy_"

As she finished reading, she looked around to the others, who had looks of shock and surprise on their faces, although none more than Sarge. "What did she do to me?" He asked, looking around at the others.

"Nothin'." Sheriff replied, a saddened expression replacing the shocked one.

"She ran away. She ran away, into the middle of a desert. Doesn't she realize how stupid that was?" Lightning asked in disbelief.

"Maybe that's what she's tryin' to do."

"What?"

"What you're implyin'."

"You mean… blegh…" He replied, flopping to the ground, shutting his eyes, and lolling his tongue out, as though he had died.

Doc's slow nod made the others worry even more.

* * *

"What're we gonna do? Foxy's run away."

"Sh-She promised she'd never leave…" Harry replied with a whimper and a pout. "And she did…"

"Maybe she'll come back?"

"I don't think so. In her note she sounded like she wanted to be left alone."

"Then we have to go after her."

"Us? Why?"

"She promised that she'd never leave us, and she did. She lied…" Harry replied, tears starting to well up in his eyes.

Sara nudged her brother comfortingly, and the trio made plans to go out that night and bring her back.

While they waited, however, Harry remained in his bed, tears running down his hood as he thought about everything the two had been through together. '_When somebody loved me, everything was beautiful. Every hour we spent together, lives within my heart. And when she was sad, I was there to dry her tears. And when she was happy, so was I, when she loved_ me.'

Images upon images of Foxy swam across the blackness of his closed eyelids, almost like a movie reel with no sound.

'_Through the summer and the fall, we had each other, that was all, just she and I together, like it was meant to be. And when she was lonely, I was there to comfort her. And I knew that, she loved_ me.'

Images with him at her side were circulating across his movie-screen eyelids, ones where she was leaning against his side gently, sleeping peacefully in a pool of sunlight, him in the middle of nudging her worriedly, seeing her saddened expression, her hands over her face as she cried, the tears leaking down her cheeks, him snuggled against her comfortingly.

'_So the years went by, I stayed the same, but she began to drift away. I was left alone. Still I waited for the day, when she'd say, 'I will always love you.'._'

There were images flashing rapidfire now, ones of him in the background watching as Foxy and Fillmore goofed off and had fun without him.

'_Lonely and forgotten, I never thought she'd look my way, but she smiled at me and held me, just like she used to do. Like she loved_ me.'

Now, there were images flowing across his eyelids again, a smooth steady pace that made him think of water. Foxy and him were playing at the waterfall, sitting at Wheel Well, playing video games, and having fun.

'_When she loved me. When somebody loved me, everything was beautiful. Every hour we spent together, lives within my heart. When she, loved, me..._'

He found himself sobbing quietly as he emerged from his memories, sure that they were never going to find Foxy.

* * *

The human in question was on the move again, but not for long. She had to find another tree before dark, so the mountain lions wouldn't get her. She did, and shimmied up the trunk, trying to get to a crook that was high in the tree. She hung her bag on a nearby branch, wrapped her sweatshirt around her legs and the branch again, then drifted to sleep.

* * *

The three children crept out of their home, then began heading down the road, towards the Interstate. They looked high and low, calling for Foxy quietly, in case something decided that they'd be a snack. They kept going, traveling farther and farther down the road. They got to the crossroads, and looked from left to right. "Which way do you think she went?"

"Not sure. Let's look for her tracks."

And so they did, with Harry acting the part of the bloodhound. He found a set of her footprints, and called out to the other two. They soon joined him, and off they went. As they traveled, the sun began to rise, and they began yawning.

"We're gonna need to find a place to-" Harry replied, cut off as an especially large yawn rendered him unable to speak. "-Sleep."

The other two nodded, and began looking for a safe spot to sleep. "What about there?" Sara mumbled around a yawn, pointing with a tire at a cluster of rocks.

"Sure." Harry and Paul followed her lead, and soon the three were snuggled together, sound asleep. The sun was shining brightly off their paint, but even that didn't wake them up.

They were up just when the sun was settling low in the sky, and continued on their way, looking for Foxy.

* * *

Foxy was several miles away at this time, and just climbing down from the tree. She stretched, then set off, feeling like the desert was on a never-ending loop reel, always cacti, and bushes, and rocks. She licked her lips, hoping to find at least some water. With her food already eaten, it was the only thing she could hope for. There was a puddle far off in the distance, and she leapt at it, only to have it jump away from her as well. She followed it, looking like some odd sort of frog.

Finally, she gave up, glaring at the wavy horizon line. With that, she set off again, still hoping for some water. She came across a small pond, and stuck her toes in it, trying to rid herself of the hot sun.

She was shocked to find that it was as cold as the waterfall, which meant that it had to have moving water coming from somewhere. She looked around the perimeter for snakes or any lizards before diving under the water. Once there, she found a steady stream of bubbles coming from the floor of the pond, and plenty of fish. '_Must be an underground spring._' She thought, and decided to go for a short swim, figuring that she was far enough away from the town, and that nobody would find her.

She got out about an hour later, and shook herself mostly dry. She climbed up a tree, tied herself down with her sweatshirt, then let the sun dry her the rest of the way. While she did that, she figured that she was going to have to make a fire, and eat a fish.

She shuddered at the thought of eating fish, but knew that she was going to have to if she was going to survive. So, she picked a straight branch from the tree, and cut it off right when it started to taper with her knife. She began sawing off the little twigs that were growing along the branch, then began sharpening it to a point, shearing the wood off like she was peeling a potato. Once that was done, she made a small fire, then burned the tip of her stick, hardening it and making it stronger. A small flame blossomed on the very tip, and she blew it out.

As she looked over the stick, she could tell that it would do just fine for hunting. She crouched at the water's edge, waiting for any fish to come. After a long, silent wait, a fish swam closer, curious. She hurled the spear at it, and was shocked when she hit it, dead on. She yanked the spear and fish out of the mud, then examined her prize.

It was a medium-sized bass, and she sighed, knowing what was coming next. She began gutting and skinning it, using a rock as a place to put the innards, then made another fire, beginning to roast it over the fire.

When she deemed the meat finished, she took a tiny bit of it. It wasn't bad, and she took another, slightly larger bite. Not bad at all.

She finished up the fish, then took the bones and other parts of the fish a long ways away from where she was going to be sleeping, that way if any animals came for the fish, they would go that way, and not over in her direction. She watched the sun set over the desert as she stoked the fire, sighing quietly. She was starting to feel slightly homesick, and was sure that the others had found the note by now.

Even though she wanted to go back, she knew that she couldn't, for the safety of the others.

She sighed again, a long, weary, drawn-out sigh, then let the fire die down, the diminishing flames matching the colors of the sky perfectly.

'_You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy, when skies are gray. You'll never know dear, how much I love you. Please don't take, my sunshine away._'

She scrambled up into the tree again, then tied herself down. She fell asleep quickly that night, too tired to even bother and stay awake. She awoke the next morning before the sun rose, and could see that it was just beginning to rise. She looked around herself carefully, looking for any mountain lions, spiders, or scorpions. When she saw none, she jumped down from the branch, then wandered over to start the fire up again. She soon had it going nicely, and when she was sure that it wouldn't need tending to every five minutes, she went to go catch breakfast.

She again heated up her spear tip, rehardening it, then she headed towards the pond. She waited patiently, silently, and was rewarded for her efforts. She saw another fish, and her spear flew to the intended target, landing a large bass, one who decided to struggle, creating foamy waves. She yanked the stick and the fish upwards, out of the water, and her jaw dropped. The fish was _huge_! She soon had it gutted and skinned, then held it over the flame using her spear. When it was cooked, she began eating it, and again was surprised at how good it was.

She ate about half of the fish, then placed the rest in the front pocket of her bag, not wanting to leave it behind. She walked on, looking back at the pond regretfully. She didn't want to leave, but she surely couldn't survive there forever. She needed to find civilization, otherwise, she was doomed. She continued on, having no idea where she was going, only that she was trying to find civilization.

As the sung grew higher in the sky, she began trying to find a tree to doze in, and settled for a smaller tree then she was used to.

* * *

The triplets had found her trail, and they were now speeding down the road, having taken extra fuel for at least a month. "Look! A pond! Do you think she stopped there?"

"That's the first sign of water in a long time, so probably." Sara replied, and the group stopped, beginning to search for clues.

"Look, Someone was here. A branch is broken off, and there's been a fire here. Plus, over here, it looks like there's blood… I hope nothing got her…" Harry replied, finding the places she had skinned and gutted the fish.

They found her footprints again, and began following them.

The footprints stopped abruptly at a tree, and they looked at each other in confusion. "Where'd she go?"

* * *

Foxy had taken off her collar when she had left, so they didn't notice as she silently climbed higher in the tree.

"She has to be here somewhere. Maybe if we start calling for her." And so the trio began calling her name, looking this way and that. They didn't think to look into the tree, and instead just circled it, calling for her as though expecting her to answer.

She remained silent, but they just kept calling. Finally, in a voice that wasn't hers, she bellowed, "Your friend is not here. I suggest you return to your home at once, lest the native predators think you a meal."

The three squealed, then bolted for home, and Foxy watched them go with a sigh. Part of her wished that she hadn't done that, but she knew that they wouldn't survive for long out here. Heck, she wouldn't survive for long out here.

'_The other night dear, while I lay sleeping, I dreamt I held you in my arms. When I awoke dear, I was mistaken, so I hung my head and cried._'

She jumped down from the tree and continued walking, eating some of the fish she had cooked.

* * *

She spotted something on the horizon, and headed towards it. She discovered that it was another town, and laid low for a couple of hours, watching the few cars that were in the town. She darted underneath a bush, watching the cars warily. Nobody seemed to notice her, and she fell asleep curled up under the bush.

That night, a snowstorm hit, and she shivered the entire night, curled up even tighter around her bag. Luckily, the bush splayed out above her head, and created a canopy to catch most of the snow.

**Like I said, I don't own the songs you find in the story. :) I wanted to get a two-part perspective on the same thing, so I included the triplets in this story. They only appear in this chapter though, so... that's it. XD I can't think of anything else to write, other then stuff about my job, and I feel like I'm a jerk because I keep bringing it up. XD Thank you all for reviewing this story, that makes me feel really happy, and like you guys are enjoying this story! :D**


	3. Unthinkable to Better

She was covered in a dusting of snow when she next awoke, and shook herself off. Her motions attracted a car to the bush, and she hid from them, unsure of what they would do to her.

"It's all right. I won't hurt you. Are you injured?" The car asked quietly, trying to coax her out from behind the bush.

She hesitated, then slowly crept towards him. When she came out, his eyes widened.

"I know you, but why are you all the way out here? Why aren't you with your crew, and Lightning?" He asked, but didn't wait for an answer as he scooped her up and drove across the street, rolling into his home. He wrapped her up in blankets, then set her by the fireplace. "Can you speak? Foxy?"

She looked up at him for a moment, then nodded.

"Why aren't you with Lightning?" He asked again, and she whined, setting her head down by the fire. He caught the expression in her eyes, and knew that it must be a sore subject for her. He rolled over to her side, and petted her gently. "I'm afraid that unless you like coffee, there's nothing here that I could give you."

Her head rose from the carpet, and her ears pricked. He had coffee that he was willing to share?

"Do you drink coffee?" He asked, noting her change in expressions.

She gave him a smile and a nod, her throat too dry to speak at the moment, and he blinked in surprise.

"All right. I'll go make some. Just stayy…" He motioned with his wheels, talking to her like she was a stray animal, and she reminded herself that she pretty much was. He left the room, then came back shortly with a cup and a straw. He set it in front of her, and she took a sip. It was pretty good, not nearly as good as Flo's though.

She gave him a smile, and the tip of her tail wagged gently, brushing free of the blankets.

"It might not be as good as what you're used to, if you drink coffee…" He told her, looking down, and she whimpered, shaking the blankets off and getting up, then going over to his side.

She laid down there, heat radiating off her like a heating blanket.

He hesitantly pulled her closer, and she snuggled against his side, purring quietly and curling up. He smiled, then began petting her, lightly at first, as though afraid he would break her. Gradually, he became more confident, and the feeling of his tire became soothing.

It wasn't long before Foxy found herself dozing contentedly at his side.

He tried not to move, but the fire was getting low. He petted her once more before inching away from her side, trying not to wake her.

She watched him with a half-lidded eye as he stoked the fire, then placed another log on it. The heat gradually returned, as did the car at her side. He resumed petting her, and she fell asleep, exhausted.

The little Yaris, who was a doctor at the town's medical clinic, began looking her over for other injuries besides her black eye. He found the blood on her hands, but couldn't see any injuries, as far as he knew. Finally, late that night, he picked her up, and carried her to the only bedroom in the house, setting her at the foot of the mattress before covering her in the blankets from earlier. He rolled onto the mattress, nuzzled her gently with his front bumper, then fell asleep, not believing that he had found Foxy, and so far from her home.

* * *

When Foxy awoke the next morning, the house was silent, but she could hear it creaking as it settled now and then. Nothing like Radiator Springs. She shook the thought out of her head, then stepped out of the blankets. How had she gotten on a mattress? The last thing she remembered was the maroon-colored Yaris petting her. She decided to investigate, and found a note on the table.

'_Foxy. Since you said that you can talk, I'm going to assume that you can read, as well. I've been called in to work for an emergency. If all goes well, I'll be able to come check on you at lunchtime. If not, then I'll be back at three thirty. P.S. Do you drink Iced Coffee? There's some in the fridge, if you'd like._'

The note wasn't signed, but Foxy knew that it was from the Yaris. She glanced around, looking for a clock. She found one, and it read nine thirty in the morning. About three hours before he got back, if all went well. She went to go investigate this 'Iced Coffee', and her eye widened. That seemed to be all that was in the fridge! The appliance was nearly full of Iced Coffee in glass bottles, except for the liquid creamer for coffee. She blinked in surprise, and decided to try a little. She took one of the bottles, and opened it. She sipped it, and found that it was good.

For a while, she just sat on the kitchen floor by the table, reminded of both of her grandmothers' houses. Old, small, but cute and tastefully furnished at the same time. That was the vibe this house was giving off, one of welcome and togetherness.

Once she had finished with the iced coffee, she placed the glass container in her bag, figuring that she could use it for something later. She sighed, and decided to wait for the Yaris by taking another nap, figuring that if she caught up on sleep, she'd be ready to leave at a moment's notice.

* * *

She bolted awake as the door was shut at the front of the house.

"Foxy?"

He was here already? How long had she been asleep?

She shook the sleep out of her mind, then went to go greet the Yaris.

"There you are!" He gave her a smile, then ruffled her ears.

She leaned into his wheel, purring, her eyelid drooping shut as her tail wagged.

He chuckled, then sighed. "Did you just get up? You look like you've been sleeping." He asked her playfully, and she grinned.

"Nope! I was up for a little, then I decided to go back to bed." She replied, her tail wagging.

"You can talk!" He exclaimed with a grin.

"You didn't think I could?"

"No, I did, it's just shocking to hear something else besides a car talk. Now that you can talk, why did you leave Lightning and the others? Did something happen?"

She looked down, then nodded. "Something did happen. And it was all my fault." She replied quietly, her tail no longer wagging.

He glanced at the clock, then lifted her up. "What happened, Foxy?"

"It's a pretty long story, but here goes…" And so she told him the story.

It took just under half an hour, and he looked up at the clock. "If you want to discuss it some more later, I'll be home then, but I've really got to hurry, otherwise I'll be late. I'm sorry, Foxy, that this happened to you. You seem too sweet for this to happen, but that's the way things go sometimes. Never the way you want them to go." He sighed sadly, petted her gently, then left again.

Foxy went back into the bedroom again, needing another nap. She snuggled underneath the blankets, then drifted to sleep, only her tail visible.

* * *

She yawned widely when she awoke next, only to hear a chuckle behind her. "Hmm?" She popped out from the nest of blankets over her head, only to find that the Yaris had returned home.

"So, you finally decided to wake up." He gave her a smile, and playfully ruffled her ears.

She stretched out, then coiled back up, giving him a sleepy smile. "Yep. Anything interesting happen at work when you went back?"

"Not too interesting, mostly paperwork."

"Ah. Doesn't sound too interesting at all." She replied, and he chuckled.

"Since you can't just survive on coffee, what would you say to going out? There's a really great restaurant in the center of town."

"Really? I couldn't ask you to-"

"I'm not listening to any of that. I'm taking you out to get real food."

Foxy hesitated, then sighed. "All right. But there's got to be something I can do to pay you back for this. I don't want this to turn into a charity. I'm a good worker, I can do just about anything, except kill bugs." She smiled sheepishly, and he ruffled her ears again.

"That won't be necessary. You look like you could use a good meal."

"I see there's no winning here. Thank you, for all that you've done." She gave him a smile, and he lifted her out of her nest.

"But first, a bath. You look like you've been on your own for a while."

"Well, let me get rid of some stuff first."

He nodded, and she pulled out her wallet, phone, shoes, then her ears and tail, and set them in her nest. "There." Seeing his perplexed expression, she nodded towards the pile. "They're all electronics, except for my wallet."

"You've got a wallet? That means that you've got money, right? So you can support yourself if you want to leave?" He asked, looking concerned.

"Unfortunately, no. I'm dirt broke in the ways of money, but I'm rich in the one thing that matters to me the most."

"What's that?"

For an answer, she picked up her wallet, opened it, then showed him the picture of her father. "My dad. He died when I was thirteen. Him and I were as close as two pages in a book."

The Yaris nodded in understanding, then ruffled her hair.

"You know, you don't act like a car who's never seen a human, or even like a car who's seen me, and knows who I am. Everybody who I meet knows me for Lightning's team, and is constantly wanting to talk about races, and if they keep me in a cage when he isn't racing, or if I'm his personal pet." She frowned at that, and he looked horrified.

"Why do they ask that?"

"Because they don't see that I'm intelligent. They just think he taught me to talk. They don't treat me like an equal, not like…"

"The ones in your old home." He finished, and she nodded. "There is a reason that I don't act like other cars, Foxy. You see, for years I have always thought that humans existed, even before you arrived. I always wondered if they were like us, intelligent, full of emotions, able to process information. Once you appeared in the racing world, I realized that my suspicions were correct, and from then on, I began researching what I could about them, which wasn't much. I suppose you could say that I've… grown accustomed to humans, and don't mind them at all." He replied, his professional mode taking over.

She smiled at him, then he ruffled her hair.

"Now, since you are a human and not a car, is it possible for you to use a car wash?"

"I don't think so…"

"Not a problem." He replied, and she blinked in surprise.

She didn't have time to ponder on how this wasn't a problem, because he led her into a room that made her jaw drop.

* * *

Up the ramp, hidden through numerous doors, was an antique-looking bathroom made for humans, complete with a porcelain sink, claw-footed tub, and other amenities. "This is incredible. Where did you get them?"

"I picked them up from a junkyard. The car who worked there said that they had been carted there after getting found out in the desert or something like that. I assume you know how to use these?"

She nodded, and he grinned.

"Very well. I'll be downstairs when you're ready." He left her to her own devices, and she shut the door afterward.

**First things first: NO, the Yaris isn't in love with Foxy, and she isn't in love with him. Think of it as him adopting a stray puppy, and babying it. And Foxy being Foxy, she accepts it, even though she doesn't want to. **

**Now, the next thing: The Yaris is a doctor at the town's nearby Medical Hospital. He was able to slip away from work because there isn't very many cars in the town (sound like another town?). There is something this town has that makes it different, and that's coming up in some future chapters. From here on out, the timeline may be blurred a bit, so infer that in between the 'stops' Foxy makes, there's lots of walking alongside deserted roads, and on the outskirts of towns, and that sort of thing. I didn't really want to write that in, because every other chapter it would sound like this: 'Foxy wandered through the landscape, trying to find more food, thinking about the home she left behind, and the previous ones she had visited.' That's pretty boring, eh? **

**So, for those of you who read through that entire thing, good for you! You're dedicated, and I like that! Now, i'd like to thank my two new reviewers, who are quickly becoming two new friends of mine! And one of them has written their very first fanfiction about Planes, so go check it out! It's really good! :D**

**Liz out, PEACE! :D**


	4. Staying The Same

She came back down the ramp about ten minutes later, her hair shining brilliantly and full of loose curls.

"You clean up pretty good." The Yaris replied after uttering a low whistle.

"Thanks." She replied, blushing.

He grinned, then nudged her. "Name's Dave, by the way. I realized that we didn't have enough time to catch up earlier."

"It's nice to meet you, Dave. My name's-"

"Foxy."

"Nope. Not Foxy. It's Liz. Elizabeth to be exact."

"Really?"

She nodded, giving him a soft smile.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Liz." He replied, his grin growing wider.

She giggled, then the two left for the restaurant.

* * *

They got back that night, and she instantly headed for her nest of blankets.

"You know, you don't have to sleep in those blankets if you don't want to. In case you haven't noticed, I live alone, so my house is your house." He told her, and she tilted her head.

"You mean it?"

He gave her a smile and a nod, and she gave him a small smile.

"Thank you, Dave. You've been so nice to me lately, and I've done nothing to deserve it. I'm a horrible person in all reality." Her smile faded, and she grew sad again, thinking about her stupid decisions.

"You're not horrible. We all make mistakes, some are just bigger than others."

"If some are bigger than others, then mine was colossal."

"Foxy, listen. We all say things we regret from time to time. But making your life as horrible as you can isn't the way to go about this. Honestly, it makes you seem like...like, you only focus on the negative. Not the positive. You've got to let things go, then move on to the next thing." During his speech, he had climbed onto the bed beside her and flopped down on his undercarriage, putting a tire over her shoulders. "Besides, you wouldn't want to be like Chick, would you?"

"What do Chick and I have in common?"

"Come on." He motioned for her to follow him, then he got off the mattress and rolled out into the living room.

She followed him, thinking that he was going to show her some scientific way that she and Chick were related.

He continued past the front door, and went into a door beside the front one. "Aren't you coming?" He asked, and she followed. He led her into what appeared to be a home office, and gestured at a newspaper clipping behind the desk. "See that?"

"Yeah."

"Go read it."

"Okayyy…" She replied hesitantly, then walked over to the clipping.

It showed a car that was barely recognizable as Chick, actually looking concerned about something. As she read it, her eye widened and her jaw dropped.

"That was the first race that he had ever seen anyone get killed by him. He never did forgive himself for what he did, and because of that, he projects his hatred of himself onto others. It makes sense if you attended the race, as I did. I saw the horror at what he had done appear on his face, the raw agony that he had killed another racer. At that time, he lived around here, and was admitted into the hospital more then once for 'accidental' drug overdoses."

"So you're saying that…"

"Those may not have been 'accidental', yes."

Her eye widened, and she sat down rather suddenly on the floor, incomprehensible shock etched into every line of her thin frame.

"Finally, I played the tough guy act and told him to stop if he didn't want another life to be taken by his actions. He did, but ever since then, he's been extremely horrible to everyone. Except women. I suppose that stems from there being little to no women involvement in the Piston Cup… until recently." He looked to her with a faint smile.

"So, when he was trying to steal me out of Lightning's trailer, he was actually trying to get me to understand his life. And I just crushed him like an insect." She replied quietly, comprehension dawning on her face.

"I'm not sure that I'd go that far, but to some extent…"

"So, everytime he keeps kidnapping me from the others, he's actually trying to tell me what happened to him, and to never repeat it?"

"Has anything gone on during these times?"

"He just takes me, I fight, he fights back, then the others come and tell him to bugger off."

"It does sound slightly possible, but I beg you not to read too much into it." He replied, and she nodded.

"Well, since you've told me about Chick, and yourself, I think it's time you knew about me."

He nodded, and she smiled faintly.

"Rule number one. Even though I love alcohol, it's never a good idea to give it to me."

Dave laughed outright at that, and Foxy grinned.

"I'm not joking. I seem to have acquired the taste for it, and can drown myself in it without knowing."

"Good to know. I'll have to lock my wine cellar every night now."

"Rule number two. I help you whenever I can, with anything that doesn't involve killing spiders or bugs."

"Foxy, I've already told you-"

"Dave, really. I don't like having nothing to do. I'm happiest when I'm at work. please?" She begged, giving him a teeny tiny glimpse of the puppy-dog eye.

"All right, but not too much work."

"Thank you." She gave him a smile, and he nudged her. "Rule number three. If anyone comes looking for me, anyone at all, we agree that it's for the best that I disappear into the desert."

He instantly pulled back, looking set against it. "Foxy, that's not necessary. You can just hide upstairs, or down in the wine-"

"Dave, I ran away from what would be my only home here. That could be classified as something bad, and it would be even worse of they found me, hiding out in your house. I know it sucks, but I don't want to see you get in trouble because of something I chose to do."

He sighed, and the look in his eyes softened. "All right. You're so intent on not seeing other people get in trouble because of you. Why?"

"I just don't. I'm already reminded of all the things I've said wrong, or did wrong over the years before I go to bed every night. I don't want to add to the already-long list. I'm afraid that it will eventually make me snap, and I'll never go back to who I am now. I'm afraid that I'll do what I did already, and attack someone." She finished in a whisper, biting her lip and looking down, fiddling with one of the strings on her sweatshirt.

He nuzzled her comfortingly, then the two went to bed, Foxy getting up early, early enough to observe Dave waking up at six.

"Oh, you're up." He blinked in surprise, and her tail wagged sleepily.

"Yep. Only just."

"Good morning, Foxy." He chuckled, ruffling her ears and her hair.

"Hi, Dave." She replied happily, then jumped down from the mattress, going into a single barrel roll. She popped up with a grin, and Dave laughed.

"I think I'll need to get used to a high-energy Foxy!" He exclaimed, nudging her towards the doorway excitedly.

"Okay, okay, I'm going, Dave." She giggled, and began moving under her own power.

He chuckled, and pulled up to her side.

"What're you so excited about?" She asked, and he grinned.

"It's a surprise."

"Oh, I'm not good at surprises…" She sighed, and he grinned.

"Here."

"What is it?"

"Open it." He replied, nudging her eagerly.

"Okay, okay, I'm opening it." She giggled again, then opened the box. Inside was a dog bed that was just her size.

"The best part about it is, you can store it in that bag of yours and take it wherever you're going to go next."

"Thanks, Dave." She grinned, then hugged his front. "It's just what I need."

"I'm glad! This way, you can have a proper bed with you at a moment's notice." The two hugged for a minute longer, then Dave pulled away, saying that he needed to be ready for work.

Foxy nodded, then went to go put the bed on her bag.

**Hi, everybody! :D It's another glorious day in my part of the world (not gonna tell anyone where that is, because I'm in PARADISE! xD Not really.) **

**So, I'm really hyped up today! Not sure why... XD Anyways, so glad you guys liked that 'Foxy Speaks Trucker' story! And that you guys want another one! :D I'll get on that as soon as I'm finished typing up Vacation. :) Turns out... that story is going to be a little longer then a oneshot... XD The last time I checked page numbers, I was on Page 23. XD And Rhapsody-of-dreams, I read your new chapter, and I love it! As for anyone else's fanfictions that they recently updated, I read those too, and I like them. :) The only thing is, I'm on my moronic desktop, and Google Chrome won't allow me to leave reviews. :/ I just wanted you guys to know that I've been keeping up to date on your stories, and I have been reading them, and I do like them. :)**

**Wow, that was a huge babblefest. XD Now, onto this chapter. XD Probably one of my favorites, because I came up with (in my opinion) an adaquate reason for why Chick is horrible to everyone. :)**


	5. Victory in a Bottle

When she returned, she was surprised by another bottle of Iced Coffee nearly being shoved up her nose. She grinned, then took it.

Dave laughed, then replied, "Sorry, I wanted to see if you'd jump."

"Normally, I would've…"

The two chuckled, and sipped their iced coffee before Dave left for work. "I'll see if I can come back again at twelve, but if not, then I'll see you at three thirty."

"All right. I'll see you when I see you next." Foxy replied with a grin.

The door closed, then there were shouts and revving engines. "Dave!" She flung the door open, only to see him being chased after by three trucks. She darted outside, and caught up to the leader, a big black Ford F-150. She growled and chomped down.

The truck released an unmanly shriek, then turned around in a flash, only to find Foxy crouched there, snorting heavily from running so fast, looking like a bull. "Leave. Him. Alone. NOW." She hissed, her eye narrowing dangerously.

"Lookie here! It's a dog with no fur! Let's skin it, fellas!"

"Foxy, no!" Dave exclaimed, lunging for her, but being yanked back by a Dodge Durango.

"You want to skin me? Me?" She asked, then began smiling. It grew into a grin, then full blown laughter. "Oh, you're such a kidder. Ain't nobody gonna be skinnin' me, fella. Although, my doctor friend is gonna be the one to sew your sorry asses back together once I'm through with you if you don't leave us alone." She replied, her tone light and noncaring. She seemed sure of herself, and this threw the trucks off.

The Ford ordered the Dodge to let Dave go. The three stalked off, grumbling about how they were bested by a mangy mutt, and she shot after them.

"Do I look **MANGY** to **YOU**?! For your information, mange is a skin disease caused by insects underneath the skin of a dog or cat. The insects itch, and make the dogs scratch their skin apart. So, **TELL. ME. AGAIN. THAT. I. AM. MANGY.**" She roared, her hair puffed up, along with her tail and ears. She looked positively wild, and they backed down quickly.

"No." The leader replied curtly.

"Good. Now get out of my sight, or else I'll shove my foot so far up your tailpipes I'll come out your mouths."

That sent them fleeing, and she snorted in disgust before heading back over to Dave. "You all right?" She asked.

He seemed to be frozen in shock, his bumper hanging to the ground. "That… That was incredible, Foxy. They must've been ten times bigger then you, and stronger, but they ran off like children. How did you do it?"

"Simple. Nobody screws with my friends and gets out alive."

Dave shuddered at her words, then nudged her. "I've never seen anything like that, Foxy. I really thought you were gonna be squashed flat."

"I'm nearly flat as it is, so that isn't saying much." She replied, making the two chuckle.

"All right, back home with you."

"Okay, bye Dave. If you need me, just whistle as loud as you can. I'll hear it."

He nodded, and the two split up. She had been assigned the task of reorganizing his wine cellar Alphabetically. She decided that it was too much of a hassle to do it alphabetically, then decided to do it simply, by color.

* * *

She exited the cellar, and just then heard a sharp, shrill whistle. She bolted out the door, looking frantically for the Yaris. She saw him flying towards her, the three trucks on his tail again. "Okay, time to take care of this once and for all." She snorted in irritation, then charged towards the group.

Dave swerved away from her, but she kept running towards the trucks.

They screeched on their brakes as fast as possible, their faces contorting into ones of horror. Their leader stopped directly in front of her, and knocked her down.

She feigned death so he would pick her up.

"Helloooo!" She exclaimed, popping up and kissing him smack on the lips before bolting away, aggravating the truck and getting him to chase after her. She whirled around, using her hair as though it were a curtain in a bullfight. "_OLE_!" She exclaimed as he flew by her. She whirled around, waving her hair teasingly at him.

He charged for her again, and again she sidestepped.

"_OLE_!" She exclaimed again. Quick as a flash, she charged for him, and bit down once more on his bumper.

He shrieked again, then flew around, only to find nothing there. He turned around again, and yelped when he saw her standing there.

"Didja miss me?" She asked, an evil grin spreading across her face. The look in her eye turned sinister, as did her grin and body stance. "I've fought a car before, I can surely fight a truck with no problem."

"Yeah, okay, half-pint."

"Let me ask you something for a minute. Have you ever been faced with a ball of fire that can consume your entire body in about five minutes?"

He didn't respond, and she continued.

"It consumes your body with an almighty, hellish burning. It's like you're being heated up from the inside out, and there's nothing you can do to stop it. It just keeps getting hotter. And hotter. **AND HOTTER**. Finally, it gets so hot, you'll think every drop of oil in your body is ablaze, and then you'll feel like you're melting into a puddle. A puddle of black paint and black oil, because that's all that's left. They won't even have anything to bury." Her voice had lowered in volume, until she was whispering the last sentence, looking deathly serious and angry as she looked at the truck.

"H-How do you know that?" He asked, trying to regain a wisp of control.

"Because. I was the one who caused it before, and I know how to do it again." She whispered, a sinister, fear-inducing grin appearing on her face. "So, unless you want to end up like Roy, you'd better back the fuck off, my friend, and that includes anyone else you've been bothering. Otherwise, I'll find out Buddy. I can hear everything. I've heard things you wouldn't even wish on your worst enemy. I've SEEN things you wouldn't wish on him either. So, what's it gonna be, _**BUDDY**_?"

He seemed frozen in place for a few seconds, then took off in a panic, leaving something behind.

Foxy looked down at what he had left, and started laughing. There was a puddle of oil where he had been a few seconds ago.

The Durango and the other truck, a GMC Sierra, looked at one another, having heard nothing. Whatever she had said, it must've been something bad to make their leader leak himself and flee. They gasped as she popped up in front of them, still wearing that same sinister grin.

"Boo." She replied, never losing the grin.

They screamed, then fled after their leader.

Foxy's laughter rang out, and Dave looked confused. "What did you say to him?"

"Just empty threats. It worked, because he leaked all over himself!" She exclaimed, and he gasped.

"He didn't!"

She nodded, trying not to burst out laughing.

"Did you get the wine squared away?"

"I did it by color, if that's all right."

"Good thinking. Alphabet won't matter if I'm drunk."

The two laughed, and went into the house.

**Merry Christmas, to those of you who celebrate it! :D Over here it's the day of Christmas Eve (I hope that made sense) and here's a Christmas present from me to you! XD I'll be uploading all of my stories a day early, since I can't ****_give_**** you guys a present in real life. :( Hope you enjoy it! :D**


	6. From Okay to Worse Once More

A few nights later, there was a knock at the door. Just as Dave was about to get it, Foxy stopped him. "It could be that truck again. I'll look, just to be sure."

He nodded, and she peeked out of a second story window. What she saw made her gasp. There was Lightning and Sally, parked right at the door!

"Foxy?" Came Dave's voice.

She crept down the steps as quietly as she could, hissing for him to be quiet. "They're here, Dave. You know what this means."

"No. Foxy, go downstairs and don't drink the wine. I'll lock the door, and tell them that my wine cellar's down there. It's not a lie, so I shouldn't have any trouble with it." He whispered back.

"You won't forget me, will you?" She whispered frantically, and he shook his hood.

"Of course not, now go! Hurry!"

She nodded hesitantly, then crept down the stairs again, fighting the urge to freeze as another knock sounded on the door.

"Go!" He hissed, then shut the door behind her, locking it quickly before going to get the door. "Hello?"

"Hi, we're wondering if you've seen any animal that would look like this." Lightning replied, showing off a picture of Foxy.

"Can't say that I have, Mr. McQueen. I'm sure I would have remembered seeing something like that."

"Please, if you've seen her, we need to know. She ran away weeks ago, and we just want to make sure she isn't dead."

"I'm truly sorry, I wish I could be of more help, but I just haven't seen her." Dave replied, feigning sadness.

"All right. Thank you anyway."

Dave nodded, then shut the door as the two turned away. He went to go unlock the door to the wine cellar. "All clear, Foxy." He heard scurrying, and soon she came up the steps, her ears back and her tail tucked between her legs.

"You sure?"

He nodded, and watched as she entered the main level of the house. "Do you really want to stay on the run for your entire life? Living life like a criminal, even though you're not?"

"Not really, but I just can't go back there again. I'd rather die…"

Just as he was about to comment, she shushed him, and her ears pricked up, as did the rest of her body. She looked like a prairie dog, on high alert. She scurried back down the steps as a knock sounded on the door.

"We know she's in there. Please, just let us see her."

"I'm sorry, but I'm washing the dishes at the moment, you'll have to come back later!" Dave called, and beckoned Foxy up the steps, hissed at her to grab her bag, and bolt out the back door.

She did, and he closed the door quietly behind her.

He sprayed his tires with water, then got a dish rag to wipe them off with. He rolled to the door, trying to make it look as though he was stopping something important to talk to them. When he opened the door, he was met with a very angry Sally Carrera. "What do you have against us, that you won't give Foxy up? We're her family, and she belongs with us."

"I told you, she's not here. I live alone, miss. You see, I'm a specialist doctor, and my work calls me out many hours of the day. I would have no time for a companion, or even a wife, or children, so I have chosen not to have any."

"Then why did that truck tell us that she threatened him, then followed you inside your house?"

Dave looked where she was pointing with a tire, and spotted the black truck, grinning maliciously. "That was not her. That was merely a figment of his imagination, I can assure you. Would you care to look inside my home? To prove that she surely is not here?"

"Yes, I would." Sally replied firmly, then rolled into his front room. She found a bulletin board covered with pictures of other humans, in all sorts of eras and clothing.

"I'm quite fascinated with that picture your husband was showing, do you have a spare? It would go quite nicely with the others I have found on the internet. I've been trying to research more about the human as an unknown species, but there truly isn't much, since the theory that they exist is just that. A theory." He explained with a sigh and depressed expression.

Sally watched him carefully for a moment, then went up the ramp. She discovered the humanized bathroom, and he explained that he had built replicas of their carwashes and whatnot to see how everything worked, and that he had just recently gotten it to work, hence the look that it had been recently used.

Sally went down the ramp, and was about to leave when she spotted the door to the wine cellar. "What's down there?"

"Wine. Care to see? I've got quite a finely-aged collection, if you ask me." He replied with a smile.

She followed him down, and gasped in surprise as she saw row upon row of full wine bottles.

"Impressive, yes?"

"It certainly is…" She replied, then apologized for her behavior.

"It's quite all right. That truck has been bothering me about being obsessed with humans for quite a while, and it would seem fitting that he would send you over here after telling you a cockamamy story about this human staying with me."

Sally gave him a smile, then left the house.

Dave shut the door after her, and sighed. "Goodbye, Foxy. I hope you shall remember me."

* * *

Foxy herself was walking away from the house, far ahead of Lightning and Sally. She needed to find another tree to sleep in for the night. She found one that was sufficient, and climbed into the branches. She used her sweatshirt to tie herself down, and began dozing and shivering, not noticing the sleet that was falling. Her doze deepened into sleep, and she didn't hear Lightning and Sally go right by her as they continued looking. She did, however, hear Mack as he went by, and that startled her awake, and up into the upper branches of her mostly bare tree. She just begged that none of them decided to look back, or turn around, because if they did, she'd be screwed. She had to get out of the tree, but that would only cause them to look back. She decided to risk it, and headed for another tree farther away from the road. She climbed it, and soon was again nestled in the branches, hoping that they wouldn't find her.

A few mornings later, she awoke with a start, her shivers startling her awake. She realized that she was covered in snow, and set about trying to untie herself with numb fingers. Finally, she made it, and began climbing down, most of the snow falling off her in sheets. She made sure that there was little to no snow on the ground before moving anywhere. She brushed the snow out of her hair, hoping that it wouldn't melt and make her more cold by turning into ice. She trudged onwards, trying to find the road again.

Once she had found it, she began heading on the path that only she knew, beginning to develop a limp because one of her feet was numb, while the other wasn't. Progress was slow going for her, and the days passed sooner than she expected. She struggled climbing the trees, really beginning to feel the winter cold. She fumbled with her sweatshirt, and debated taking it off or not. She decided against it, and instead pulled out her blanket, using it increasingly more and more often.

She looped two of the edges over the top of a thick-looking, sturdy branch, and knotted it underneath. When that was done, she had a burrito-like hammock roughly made. She always slipped inside, hoping that it would hold her for the night. She used the corners from the extra two ends to close off the back and front openings, that way there was warmth inside her little cocoon. She was able to fall asleep quite peacefully, the gentle swaying of the blanket-turned-hammock from the wind soothing.

'_You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy, when skies are gray. You'll never know dear, how much I love you. Please don't take, my sunshine away._'

When she awoke next, she awoke to darkness, and warmth. She moved, and instantly the flaps fell out, revealing a shaft of golden sunlight. "Looks like it's going to be warm today." She told herself with a smile. She managed to pull herself out of the hammock, and untied the blanket from the branch. She packed it away in her bag again, and was on her way.

* * *

She spotted another town on the horizon, just the tops of buildings, and knew that she was approaching a city. She meandered her way into a park, and remained there, huddled underneath a bush as it started snowing again.

Cars bustled by her as though she was invisible, and she sort of wanted to be invisible for the moment, so she did nothing to attract attention to herself. She tried getting more comfortable, snuggling down in a pile of dead leaves and resting her chin on her bag. She looked pathetic, and she knew it.

A car passing by tossed garbage in her direction purposefully, and Foxy didn't move as it bounced off her head and landed a couple of inches to her right. She was too depressed to care what happened to her anymore.

Another car sent slush her way, calling back to her, "Get a job, you freakin' hobo!"

She just shut her eye and let it hit her directly in the face. When they had passed by, she raised a sleeve and wiped it off.

Her spot there didn't last long, as a group of teenage boys relentlessly began throwing stones and rocks at her, laughing when she yelped or cringed. They began calling her names as they threw more rocks, and she didn't even have the heart to fight back.

Instead, she just ran away, planning to find another place to try and sleep. There was none, and eventually, she found an overpass.

She sighed, and began climbing up the hills on the sides, wanting to get as far away from the road as possible. She found others huddled there, cars, and didn't know what to think. She wasn't sure if they would accept her, or what.

One of the cars was watching her intently, and she watched him, on all fours from climbing up the slope. They both watched each other for a long time, and just when she thought she was going to be beaten, he spotted her ears.

"Here, c'mere." He called in a gruff voice, motioning with a nearly-bald tire for her to come closer.

She crept closer to the fire they had going, and the cars gasped.

"It's just a fox, Joe. I say kill it and eat it."

Foxy drew back in slight shock, her ears going back.

"It doesn't look any fox I've ever seen." He retorted, and began beckoning her again.

She began creeping closer, one ear up, the other one back, her tail between her legs.

"I think it's just scared, Joe. Let it be."

To the shock of all, she crept up next to him, and huddled down to the ground, some of the wounds from the teenagers still bleeding slightly.

"Look at it. It looks like somethin' tore into it real good. We've gotta help it."

"With what, Joe? We can't even help ourselves."

"Ain't we got any scraps of meat or somethin'?"

"Yeah, but just the scraps. That's all it's gettin'."

At the sound of food, Foxy's tail began wagging slightly. They set a shallow dish of meat scraps in front of her, and she wolfed them down, her tail raising up and wagging.

"There, ya see? They're all nice if ya give 'em food."

"It does seem to be good-tempered…"

Joe, a Buick Skylark, scratched behind her ear hesitantly, and her foot thumped against the ground as she lowered her head into his wheel.

The other men laughed, and she laid down at Joe's side. He began petting her absentmindedly, and she snuggled into his side.

"Hang on a sec, Joe. Ya know who this fox looks like?"

"Who?"

"That racer's mascot, Foxy. Same ears an' tail."

"Ya see a collar on it?"

Foxy stiffened as Joe felt around her neck for the collar that was in her bag. She was touchy about that.

"Nope, no collar. Last race I was watchin', she was missin' an' he was sayin' that if anybody finds 'er there would be a reward fer her return."

Foxy's head lifted from on top of her bag, and she looked around.

"Ya just go on back ter sleep. Ain't nothin' t'worry 'bout." Joe told her, petting her again.

She laid her head back down on her bag, but her eye remained open.

"I was watchin' it too, an' he plumb seemed upset over losin' 'er."

Foxy, for the first time since she had left, felt bad about leaving. Lightning was upset over her being gone? She whined quietly, and Joe looked down at her worriedly.

"Whatsamatta there?" He asked, and began petting her again.

She didn't respond, just curled up even more on top of her bag. The last thing she heard before she fell into sleep was "She's mighty banged up. I'll betcha it was them teenagers in that park 'at got to 'er first."

**Hi, everyone! :) Okay, so, rough timeline for this chapter. Foxy's been living with Dave, the Yaris for about two or three weeks. She's already been walking around for nearly another three before that. That's about a month and a half. Then, she leaves Dave's, and keeps on walking. Since it's winter, she covers less ground in a longer amount of time. Thus, I'm thinking around five or six weeks. The city she comes across would be Flagstaff, just a general reference point. So, in total, she's been away from Radiator Springs for 2 months and 3 weeks so far. Hope this helps put the ending into perspective! **


	7. Worse to Everything's Okay Now

The next time she awoke, about three days later, the cars were all sleeping, and the fire was out. Foxy quietly got up, and crept away, carrying her bag at the top. She swung it over her back once she was down at the road, and began making her way eastward once more.

She came across a state park, and found some water, which she drank gratefully. She was just about to go for a swim when a park ranger chased her away. She took off running through the bushes, hoping to get out of the park.

"Mommy, what kind of animal is that?"

"It looks like a fox that doesn't know it's supposed to walk on four legs." The minivan scoffed as Foxy ran past.

Foxy didn't stop until she was out of the park, then she collapsed, panting furiously. She didn't hear more cars going by behind her until one dared to look behind the bush.

"Hey, what's this?!"

Foxy didn't give the car time to get an answer, she just bolted. She stopped behind a shopping center, where she found food in the form of the dumpsters. She found a tree planted for decoration, and slept in that for the time being.

'_You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy, when skies are gray. You'll never know dear, how much I love you. Please don't take, my sunshine away._'

* * *

Many mornings later, she yelped as she was poked and prodded.

"Holy crap, it's awake!" A young voice exclaimed, then there was the sound of tires screeching.

She steadied herself, then got out of the tree, her things on her back already. She headed southeast, unsure of why anymore. It had just seemed like the right thing to do at the time. She much preferred the desert to this madness. Pretty soon, she came across water, a small stream in a neighborhood.

There was a sign she found, and it read, 'McHood Park'. It was a nice little park, quiet and with plenty of trees to sleep in.

She climbed up into the upper branches of one, where she wasn't seen from the ground. From there, she fell into a listless doze, and only awoke when she felt ready to. She slowly climbed down from the tree, and headed on her way after pausing to get a drink.

Her pace was sluggish, partially due to the cold, and partially because her energy was fading quickly.

She longed for a place to call home again, and found herself thinking of Dave. She missed him something awful, but still she did not turn back. She had to keep going if she wanted to beat the winter snows.

She came across another park, and decided to bunk under another bush, seeing no trees available. Just as she was about to fall asleep, there was a horrendous crackling noise coming from the bushes coming to her right. She bolted up, and looked for a place to hide, but there was none.

Just as she was about to turn and run, she came face to bumper with a truck. Her eye widened, as did the truck's windshield.

"What's this?"

She drew back in a hurry, her tail tucked between her legs and her ears back, remembering the teenage boys, which the truck in front of her seemed to be. The truck took in her haggard appearance, and instantly felt sorry for the pathetic creature in front of him.

"Are you all right? You look as though you've been hit by… Oh, poor thing." The truck dug around in a bag at his side, and pulled out a piece of cubed ham. "Come now, there's nothing to be afraid of. I'm not going to hurt you." He told her quietly, and she slowly crept towards him to take the meat before backing off, unsure what he was going to do to her. He held out another piece, and she came slightly closer to take it. He placed a tire on her neck gently, looking for a collar.

She stiffened, and he offered her another piece of ham, which she took.

"What has made you so wary of teenagers, poor thing?" He sighed finally, petting down her spine gently.

She purred, and his tire moved up to her ear.

"There, that's much better. Come on, you can come stay with me for tonight."

Too exhausted to argue, Foxy allowed herself to be picked up and placed in his bed. The rumbling of his engine kept her awake, at least until they reached a small house.

It had started snowing as they were heading back, and Foxy was shivering.

The truck set her down in front of a fireplace that had no fire as of yet, and wrapped her up in blankets, as Dave had done. He quickly made a fire, and soon had it crackling and giving off a sleep-inducing amount of warmth.

Foxy slipped into a deep sleep in the nest of blankets.

* * *

When she next awoke, there was a plate of ham in front of her, and a crackling fire at her side. She inched her way forwards until she was able to bite off bits of ham.

"That's the leftover from our Thanksgiving dinner."

The truck's voice startled her, and she dropped the bit of ham she had been holding in her mouth.

"I didn't mean to scare you." He told her, rolling forwards and petting her.

She scooped up the bit of ham and ate it quickly, starting in on the rest of the pieces.

"What's your name?"

Foxy looked over at the truck, who was watching her curiously. She swallowed the ham she had been chewing, and went over to her bag. She dug through it until she found her collar, and pulled it out.

"Foxy. That's a nice… you're the Foxy?" The truck asked, and Foxy cowered closer to the ground, sure that he would call Lightning and tell them where she was. "Why are you so far from home, Foxy?"

She didn't respond, only looked down at the floor. She didn't feel like having the entire world knowing that she had fought with one of her neighbors and run away.

"I'll go call Lightning, and let him know that you're-"

Just like that, she was gone, out in the middle of a snowstorm. She didn't want to go back, never! Even if it meant dying out in the middle of nowhere, living like an animal, she'd never be able to show her face around there again. She found another tree, and began climbing it. She wrapped herself up in her blanket, wanting to wait out the snowstorm.

* * *

It didn't let up, and by daybreak, she could at least see trees and buildings and whatnot. She made her way through the snow, wishing more than ever for a nice, warm fireplace. Every so often, she'd curl her toes so they didn't freeze. She did the same with her hands, and it was nearing darkness when she saw her chance.

There was a large, tan-colored object moving through the snow towards her. She just continued on her path, trying to not alert the cat to her presence. It came upon her and growled. She did nothing. It hissed at her. She still did nothing. It swiped at her, to see what would happen. Still nothing. It grew bored of her, and continued on by.

She had completely lost the chance. Now, feeling miserable, she continued walking, although the snow was so deep it turned into a shuffling.

Out of the darkness loomed a single tree, and she could barely climb it because her hands were numb. Once she was up in the branches, she used the blanket again, and the silence sent her off to sleep.

'_Please don't take my sunshine away, please don't take my sunshine away..._'

* * *

What she didn't know was that the mountain lion had come back.

He spotted the bundle hanging from the tree, and sniffed it. There was a familiar smell, one that he didn't like. He hissed at the bag, and swiped at it with a paw. Long slash marks appeared in it, and were soon accompanied by a scream. The scream angered him, and he attacked. The screams echoed through the night, until eventually, they stopped altogether. When he was finished, he stalked off, growling. Now maybe the thing in the tree would know better than to invade his territory.

Foxy was now lying on the ground, deep bite marks and gouges scattered across her form, staining the snow around her red.

"The screams came from this way, it really sounded like someone was getting-OHMYGOD!"

Barely awake, Foxy heard a distorted voice that she didn't recognize, and there were headlights burning into her eye.

"Is it even alive?"

"I don't know, but look! It's probably a pet. It's got a collar."

"Careful, that collar's got spikes on it."

"I know. Hey, the tag says Foxy."

"Oh, god. Do you know who this is?"

"If you're thinking Lightning's Foxy, then yeah, I do. We've got to go let him know what happened."

"N-No…" Foxy whimpered weakly, and the cars leapt away from her in surprise.

One rolled back to her side, and picked her up. "Foxy, can you hear me?"

She nodded faintly, and she heard a sigh.

"Good. Let's get you stitched up." The car sounded so much like Doc in that moment that she felt a sharp pang of homesickness, and whimpered quietly.

The car was oblivious to the pain he had caused, and took her to the nearest ER. "It's Foxy! She was nearly dead when we found her!"

"Bring her this way." There was the sting of a needle, then everything began to fade.

She didn't mind, she was exhausted anyways. She let herself slip away into the blackness, and it seemed all too short, because before she knew it, she was waking up again, and there was a jumble of colors surrounding her.

She was able to pick out green, and blues, and brown, and red.

* * *

"She's wakin' up."

"Foxy?"

"Kid?"

As her vision cleared gradually, she spotted the others grouped around. She shrank back, hanging her head, unsure of what they would say.

Flo rolled closer and nudged her gently. "Where have you been, hun? You look like you've been livin' it pretty rough."

Just like that, her memories came back to her of the past months.

"We thought we were never gonna see ya again, ever." Mater added, looking overjoyed and depressed at the same time, only something he could pull off.

"Let 'er breathe. She's just been mauled by a mountain lion."

The two nodded, and backed off. Foxy just looked around at the others worriedly, thinking that they were hiding their anger really well.

"It is Foxy, right? I mean, it's not some other human who just happens to look like her, right?" There was Lightning's voice, and to her shock, he actually sounded slightly scared.

"B-Bugger off, Light." She rasped, and the others chuckled.

"That answer your question, kid?"

"Sure does." Lightning replied happily, nudging Foxy as he settled beside her. He was like a little kid in a candy store; he just wouldn't leave her alone.

Doc was constantly chasing him out of the room, telling him to leave Foxy alone.

"Wait… where's my bag?" She asked, and looked around for it.

"Hey, kid. There's somethin' ya can do. Go find her bag."

Lightning nodded once, then took off as fast as the hospital would allow.

Doc rolled his eyes, but rolled over to Foxy's side. "You scared him pretty good during those months. He wouldn't even focus on the races without knowing where ya were."

Her ears went back, and she looked down.

"Why'd ya leave, kid? And I want the truth."

She mumbled something quietly, and he nudged her.

"Louder, Foxy."

"I was afraid that…" Her voice dropped in volume once more, but Doc was able to catch it.

"Mad at ya? We're not mad at ya for what ya did to Sarge. I think you and I both know that he deserved it." Doc chuckled, and Foxy looked up.

"But what if it happens again? And this time, it's not Sarge?"

He could see the fear in her eyes, and nudged her. "We'll turn ya over to Chick."

"I'm serious."

"I know. So am I."

Foxy looked down again, and Doc nudged her. "Sarge forgives ya, if it means anything."

"He does?"

"Yes, I do."

Foxy shrank away from the doorway in a hurry with a whimper as he entered the room.

Doc left the room, figuring that Sarge wanted to talk with her. Alone. The two watched as Doc left, then Sarge spoke up.

"He was pretty broken up after ya left."

"Lightning?"

Sarge shook his hood. "Fillmore."

"Now I wanna jump off a cliff." She replied with a whimper.

Sarge frowned, then shook his hood. "That'd make it worse."

"What am I supposed to do, Sarge? I can't jump off a cliff, and I can't just waltz into town as if everything's fine and dandy, because it isn't. You all have taken so much crap from me, an-"

"I don't wanna hear that."

"Huh?"

"I haven't been taking any crap from anyone. I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes you do! The fight that we seem to have every day, to top it all off, the fight we had before I left."

"If I was taking crap from anyone, you'd know it. That was not taking crap from you."

"But Sarge, I-"

"I don't want to hear it, Foxy. None of us have taken anything worse than a good time from you."

"You mean it?" Her voice was small, unsure, almost shy.

"Affirmative." He replied, rolling closer and nudging her with his hood. He watched as the panic and tension within her seemed to melt away a little at a time.

Eventually, she was sound asleep, which didn't surprise Sarge in the least. He nudged her gently once more before leaving quietly.

* * *

She slept for nearly three days, which was the amount of time it took to get her well enough to be able to leave. She awoke in Lightning's trailer, on the mattress. "Hi, Sleepy." Lightning replied, pulling her closer into a hug.

She stiffened, not used to hugs for a long time.

Thankfully, he let her go, and she curled up to sleep again.

This time, however, there was a difference. She was back in the tree, but this time, she could hear the mountain lion pacing and growling beneath her. She yelped as it swiped at her with a paw, knocking her down. It pounced on her at once, but her dream wouldn't let her wake up. She watched the horrendous agony firsthand as it ripped and tore into her flesh using teeth and claws, her screams loud and agonizing. Finally, to top it all off, the blood. There was so much blood, it spread out into the snow like a curtain.

With a scream, she was jolted awake. She scared herself so badly that she ended up falling onto the floor, bringing the whole blanket with her. She screamed again because all she could see was red, the color of her blood.

"Foxy, are you all right?"

She squealed in surprise, and curled up into a ball. She felt herself being picked up, and tried to run, her pupils the size of pinholes.

"Hey, hey, calm down. It's all right."

She finally recognized the voice, and he set her down on the bed, hearing her sobbing weakly.

"What happened, Foxy?" He pulled the blanket back up and over the two of them, and hugged her close, resting his fender against her head gently.

She was visibly shaking, and he could tell that she was petrified. "Mountain lion...claws, teeth...blood…" Was all he was able to discern before she collapsed into thin, weak sobbing again. She looked so pathetic and helpless, he thought he would've ripped the mountain lion to shreds with his bare tires.

As it was, he snuggled as close as he could to her, muttering that it was all right, that the lion couldn't get her in his trailer.

She clung to his tire that was wrapped around her like a lifeline, shaking and whimpering.

He pulled her in closer, nuzzling her gently. Finally, her sobbing stopped, but her shaking remained. He turned the tv on, and the two discovered a James Bond movie.

By the end of it, both were asleep, snuggled up close to each other for comfort, the blanket draped across them both. They remained asleep for the remainder of the ride, and as the ramp lowered with a bang, Foxy squealed, jumped up, then promptly fell off the other side of the bed, bringing the blanket with her once more.

Lightning was awoken by the sound of her squeal, and began looking around for her. He found her curled up underneath the blanket, quivering. He scooped her up, blanket and all, then deposited her on the bed.

She disentangled herself from the blanket, then crawled over to his side, wanting comfort.

He hugged her with a tire, and she rested her head on his fender gently. The two stayed like that for a few minutes, then he nudged her with his tire. "You okay now?" He asked gently, and she nodded. He scooped her onto his hood, and passed her the bag that had been left in the snow after the mountain lion attack.

She dug through it to see if everything was there, and when she saw that it was, she nodded, then closed it again.

"Foxy?"

"Foxy's back!"

"She's okay!"

The others gathered around the duo welcoming Foxy back eagerly.

She was a little wary of how they would react, and she had been alone for so long that she needed to be integrated back into the little town.

* * *

It didn't take long before she was back to her old self, especially not with Fillmore's help. He had waited for the exact moment, then he had pounced at her, like she had done to him so many times. The others laughed as they watched the reunion of the two.

Foxy was too stunned to react, and settled for blinking in surprise, her eye wide. "D-Did you just bounce me? Like Tigger?" She asked finally, and he nodded eagerly. She laughed, then wrapped herself around his tire, purring happily. "I might need to leave more often, if I'm getting bounced every time I get back!" She grinned, and he petted her hair, listening to her purr.

The nightmares didn't stop for another week or so after her return, and after they heard her story, the others were surprised that it wasn't worse. With time, it faded, as did her wary, fearful personality. She was soon back to her crazy, high-energy self.

One day, she spotted a familiar Yaris rolling down the street. "Dave?" She asked alertly, her ears pricked, so they looked like bat ears. Her relaxed stance straightened, and she once more looked like a prairie dog.

"What is it, Foxy? A squirrel?" Sheriff chuckled, having gotten familiar with her stance.

"Nope. A Yaris."

"A Yaris? I thought she didn't chase cars…"

"I'm not gonna chase Dave, I'm gonna… you'll see." She replied, then stood up. She darted towards the Yaris, and the others watched, curious.

"Foxy! You are here!"

"Sure am. Not my fault, of course."

At his questioning look, she added, "Cougar attack."

"You? The one who can take on a burly Ford F-150, a stocky Dodge Durango, and a GMC Sierra?"

"Yeah, I know. In my defense, the cougar caught me by surprise. What brings you all the way out here?"

"Looking for another job."

"No!"

"They fired me. Said I brought too much trouble."

"Dave, I'm sorry, I-"

"I hated that job anyway." He replied, a grin appearing on his face.

"What're you gonna do now? I mean, I think we've got a few openings for nurses, but that's about it. Otherwise, you'd have to talk to Doc."

"Sounds fine to me."

The others were watching this exchange, Lightning and Sally already filling them in on who he was. "So, he's the one who found Foxy?"

"The truck that we met had seen her going into his house."

"Actually, Foxy, I'd like to move into a new field of study. Humans." He gave her a smile, and her jaw dropped.

"You can't be serious! I-I-I don't know what to say!"

"Yes would be nice."

"Yes! Of course you can! But what about your house, your belongings…"

"They're here."

At that point, a low rumbling could be heard, and something large came into view. Foxy's jaw dropped nearly to the road.

"You...You… rented a crane?" She squeaked, and he chuckled.

"Of course. That is the only way to move a house, you know."

She just blinked, completely floored that he wanted to live near her.

"What's goin' on here?" Doc rolled over, confused.

"Dave wants to live with us! He even brought his own house!"

Doc just shook his hood, chuckling. "All right, Foxy. He can stay."

"Yay! Dave gets to stay!"

Dave laughed as Foxy jumped for his roof, wrapping herself around it and purring.

"But you two are in charge of where to put it." Doc told them, pointing a tire at both.

The duo nodded, and began directing the crane where to set the house down. They finally agreed on a spot by the firehouse, just to the left of it.

Foxy grinned like a madman, and began doing cartwheels down the main road, stopping when she reached the Stanley statue. "Well, there's just one more thing to say. Dave, WELCOME HOME!"

In the background, she could hear a familiar song playing on the radio. _You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy, when skies are gray. You'll never know dear, how much I love you. Please don't take, my sunshine away. The other night dear, while I lay sleeping. I dreamt I held you in my arms. When I awoke dear, I was mistaken, so I hung my head and cried. You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy, when skies are gray. You'll never know dear, how much I love you. please don't take, my sunshine away. You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy, when skies are gray. You'll never know dear, how much I love you. Please don't take, my sunshine away. Please don't take, my sunshine away. Please don't take, my sunshine awaaaayyyy…._

**And that's the end of this story! :D Hope you guys enjoyed it, and I'm sorry for uploading late. I was working on Vacation all day. XD**


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